Frederick g



3 Sheets-Sheet 1. F. G. JAHN.

INKER.

(No Model.)

Patented Jan. 12, 1897.

nbl a3 WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS,

(No Model.) l 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

F. G. JAHN.

Y INKER. No. 575,301. Patented Jal-12,1891

lllllllllll" (No Mod-e1.) 3 sheets-sheet s.

P. G. JAHN.

- INKBR.

TNQ. 575,301. Patented Jmlz, 1897.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS.

A UNITED STATES l PATENT OFFICE.V

FREDERICK G. JAHN, OF BROOKLYN, NFNV YORK, -ASSIGNOR TO MATTHEV l J.DOLPHIN, OF SAME PLACE. l

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 57 5,301, dated January12, 1897. l Application filed February 20, 1894. Serial No. 500,837. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, t may con/cern: and the ink-applier being shown in its nor-Be it lknown that I, FREDERICK G. JAHN, mal or inoperative position.Fig. 4 is a simi of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, in the larvertical sectional view in which the ink- State of New York, haveinvented new and applier is shown in its operative position.

5 useful Improvements in Inkers, of which the Fig. 5 is a verticalsectional view taken on line 55 following, taken in connection with theac- 5, Fig. l, the lower portions of the ink-recompanying drawings, is afull, clear, and cxceptacle and the adjacent parts being broken actdescription. away. Fig. 6 is an isometric perspective of My inventionrelates to improvements in the detached ink-`applier and the arm forsup- Io inkers particularly applicable for use with porting saidink-applier and agitating the ink 6o machines for stamp-canceling andpostmarkwithin the receptacle. Fig. 7 is an isometric ing mail-matterand with similar rapidly-opperspecth'e of the ink-receptacle, a portionerating mechanisms, and has for its object of the supporting-frame, thesha-ft for oper- E the production of a simple and practical deating theink-applier, the connectingmechanvice which is economically manufacturedand ism between said shaft and the arm support- 65 operated, preventsseparation and thickening ing the iuk-applier, `the ink-feeding rollers,of the colorii'ig-mattcr of the ink and the e1iportions of the supportsfor said rollers, the trance of dust, &c.,1;hereto, supplies therequiactuator for operating the positively-driven site amount of ink ofuniform consistency and ink-feeding roller, and the marker to which zocolor with a maximum degree of constancy the ink is transmitted by therollers. Fig. S 7o and uniformity, is positive and eifective in is anisometric perspective of the ink-feeding operation, and is durableinuse; and to this rollers, the supports for the rollers, and the end itconsists, essentially, in areceptaclefor adj usters for said supports.Fig. 9 is a dethe ink and an ink-applier movable within the tailvertical sectional view taken on line 9 9,

receptacle from its normal to its operative po- Fig. l. Figs. l() and llare face views of a 75 sition for `agitating and feeding the ink.portion of one of the supports for the ink- The invention also consistsin an ink feedfeeding rollers and an adjustable shoulder ing ordistributing roller having a yielding upon the adjuster for saidsupport, and Fig. face, an ink-feeding roller having a substanl2 is anisometric perspective of a modified 3o tially rigid face forreceivingthe ink and eu construction of the inlcapplier. 8o gagng the face of theformer roller, and in The coloring-matter of ink, and particularly thegeneral construction and arrangement of that used by machines forpostmarking and the parts, all as hereinafter more particularlystamp-canceling mail-matter, is more or less described, and pointed outin the claims. ununiformly ground and separates to a In describing thisinvention reference is greater or less extent from theliquid of the 85had to the accompanying drawings, forming ink and settles at the base ofthe receptacle a part of this specification, in which like letcontainingthe same. This undesirable re ters indicate corresponding parts in allthe sult is augmented when the ink is supported views. within a rotaryreceptacle and is fed either 4o Figures l and 2 are respectively topplan and through a series of minute perforations or by 9o side elevationof my improved inker shown a series of rollers formed of felt or similaras operatively supported upon a portion of a material having yielding orIilorous faces. 5 supportingframe and as connected to a ro- Consequentlythe ink is of ununiform contaryshaftforoperatingthe inkapplier. Fig.sistency, and it is practically impossibleto 3 isa vertical sectionalview taken on line 3 3, feed the same uniformly and constantly. 95 Fig.l, the ink-receptacle, a portion of its sup- Moreover, the color andlegibility of the importing-frame, the ink-applier, the arm and pressionproduced by a marker supplied with the rotary disk for supporting androcking ink of this character varies materially, and the ink-applier,and the link between said the impression is consequently more or less 5oarm and disk being the only parts illustrated, ununiform and uncertain.roo

AIO

My invention support-s the ink in a sub, stantially inclosed andstationary receptacleconstantly stirs and mixes the ink for preventingseparation and thickening of its coloring-matter, and feeds the inkpositively and uniformly from the receptacle to the marker withoutpermitting variation in the color or consistency of the ink or variationof the uniformity with which the ink is fed.

A represents the ink-receptacle, which is of any desirable form andconstruction suitable for use with the remaining parts of my inventionand is preferably formed of sufficient size to contain a considerablequantity of the ink. As illustrated, the receptacle consists of astationary body or lower section a, removably secured in any desiredmanner to a suitable supporting-frame B, and a cover or top section a,removably secured to the body or lower section a. As best seen at Figs.l, 2, 3, 4, and 7, one side of the body or lower section cr is securedto the frame B by a screw b, provided upon said frame and engaged with aslotted lug a2, projecting from said side of the body or lower sectiona, and a second side of the body or lower section a is secured to theframe B by a thumb-screw b', passed through a lug a3, projecting fromthe body or lower section aand having its lower end engaged with theframe B. As also best seen in Figs. l, 2, 3, 4, and 7, one side of thecover or top section c' is provided with ashoulder a4, which enters acorresponding perforation @5in the body or lower section a, and a secondside of the cover is provided with a shoulder a6, removably engaged witha yielding shoulder a7, secured to the body or lower section a. Thereceptacle A is thus firmly held in operative position and is readilydetached at will for cleaning or other purposes, and its cover is alsofirmly held in position and may be easily removed for permittingentrance to the receptacle.

C represents any suitable construction of marker to which the inl; isfed from the receptacle A, the marker here illustrated being shown asrotary and as mounted upon a shaft c. The marker forms no part of mypresent invention, and consequently it is unnecessary to furtherillustrate or describe the same.

D is a loosely-revoluble ink feeding or distributing roller having aflexible face engaging the face of the marker C for transmitting inkthereto. As preferably constructed the roller D is provided with a faceof felt and is adjustably secured to a movable support E, provided witha bearing or barrel c, movably supported or pivoted upon a rod or othersu pport El, which, if desired, may be secured to the frame B. A spindled for the roller D is passed lengthwise therethrough and is provided atits upper end with a removable nut d', arranged above the upper face ofthe roller D. The lower end of the spindle d is passed through a slot cin the support E and is provided with a shoulder d2, movable in saidslot, a shoulder d3, resting upon the top face of the support E, and anadjustable shoulder d4, bearing again st the lower face of said sup-Ort.

p F is an ink-feeding .roller provided with a substantially rigid face,to which the ink is fed by the ink-applier presently described, and, asclearly seen in the drawings, the face of this roller bears against theface of the loosely-revoluble roller D and revolves the same for feedingthe ink from the roller F to the roller D and thence to the marker C.

The roller F is mounted upon a spindle f, j ournaled in a support E2,pivoted to a rod E3, carried by the support E, and said roller is alinedwith an opening A in.an upright wall of the cover or top section a' ofthe ink-receptacle, and a portion of its face projects beyond the upperend of a face A2 of the cover ortop sectionct, projecting downwardlywithin the receptacle A for conducting within the same any ink drippingfrom said portion of the roller F or the ink-applier presentlydescribed. A suitable adjuster or screw E4 is movable in the support Eand bears against the support E2 for varying the position thereof andforcing the roller F against the roller D and varying its frictionalengagement therewith. A spring is secured to the support E and bearsagainst the support E2f0r forcing the support E2 against the adjusterE3.

The roller F is revolved by an actuator of any suitable form, size, andconstruction, here illustrated as a shaft f provided with a gear-wheelf2, to which motion is communicated by any suitable form ofpower-transmitting mechanism, not necessary to herein illustrate ordescribe. This actuator or shaft f is revolved in fixed bearings, and asthe roller F is necessarily adjustably supported I connect the shaft fto the spindle f by a flexible connection F', consisting of a section f3of a shaft having its opposite ends provided with projecting pins f4,engaged with slots f5 in heads provided upon the adjacent ends of thespindlefand the shaft f. It is evident, however, that otherconstructions of fiexible connections may be interposed between thespindle fand the shaft f.

It is extremely desirable to adjust the support E, carrying theink-feeding rollers D F, and consequently I provide said support with aprojecting arm EG, formed with a groove E7, andan engaging face E8,provided with an engaging shoulder E9. A suitable adjuster G is engagedwith the arm Ei for varying its position, and consists, preferably, of arod having one extremity mounted upon a pivot g, carried by any suitablesupport g', only a portion of which is here illustrated, and its otherextremity movable within the groove E7 and provided with an adjustableshoulder c 2, movable lengthwise thereon and bearing against the face E8and provided with sockets g3 for receiving vthe shoulder Ei'. A springg4 is mounted on the adjuster G for forcing the arm EG of the support Eagainst the shoulder g2 of the adjuster G and engaging the shoul- IOOIIO

der E9 with the socket g3, registered therewith. This is a particularlysimple, practical, and effective mechanism for feeding the ink from theink-applier to the marker C, and as but a single roller having afiexible face is used the liability of` straining and separating thecoloring-matter of the ink when in transit to the marker is reduced to aminimum. Moreover, 'as the face of the positively-driven rolleriscomparatively rigid and frictionally engages the additional feeding ordistributing roller, the speed with which the ink is fed by thedistributing-roller is uniform, the Wear upon the distributing-roller isreduced to a minimum, and the frictional engagement of thepositively-driven roller with the looselyrevoluble distributing-rollerprevents the same from losing its normal circular form, which resultWould take place were it engaged by a second roller having a yieldingface. Theink-feedin g rollers and their supports are also so constructedas to be readily adjustable toward each other and toward the marker, andthis great capability of adjustment is an additional feature ofadvantage of 'the described construction of ink-feeding rollers andsupports therefor.

I-I represents the ink-applier, which is of any suitable form, size, andconstruction for feeding the ink from the receptacle A to the roller F.The preferable construction of inkapplier consists of a frame i1.,formed with a groove or guideway h', and a feeding-strip h2, yieldinglysupported in the groove or guide h and formed with a suitable feeding-Vface which, when in its operative position,

isalined with andcaused to project through the outlet-opening A forfeeding the ink to the roller F or any other suitable ink-feedin g part.Suitable springs t'are supported by the frame 7i and are operated toforce the feeding-piece h2 to its normal position relative to the frameh and permit the same to yield or move within the groove or guide 7Lwhen the feeding-strip'is engaged with the roller F. The feeding-strip77,2 is provided with a slot 7V* for receiving a pin h5, which issecured to the frame h and acts as a stop for said strip and as a guidetherefor when the strip is forced backwardly against the action of thesprings h3.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that any other feedingpart may be used instead of the roller F for receiving the ink fed fromthe receptacle A by the ink-applier H; that said ink-applier may,if desired, be form ed with a comparatively rigid instead of a yieldingfeeding-faee,and that, providing the roller F or other part to which theink is fed projects within the cover or top section a of theink-receptacle A, it is unnecessary to project the feeding-face of theink-applier through the opening A. It will also be evident that theroller F, to which the ink is applied, may be supported Within the upper`extremity of the receptacle A instead of at the outside thereof andthat the ink-applier may then feed the ink to said roller and the rollerfeed the ink from the receptacle A.

The preferable form of ink-applier H is arranged normally, as best seenat Fig. 3, in the lower portion of the receptacle A and is movableupwardly into alinement with the opening A, and thereby continuallyagitates and mixes-the ink Within the receptacle, preventing separationand thickening of the coloringmatter of the ink. This ink-applier issupported by an arm H', which also acts as an agitator of the ink Withinthe receptacle A. As preferably constructed the arm H consists of asection H2, secured to a rock-shaft A3, journaled in the coveror topsection a', and a rocking section H4, movable in a plane extending at anangle with the plane of movement of the former section and having oneend suitably supported by the section I-land the other end secured tothe ink-applier H. A spring H5 surrounds a portion of the rockingsection H4, and as the `arm H is elevated an antifriction-roller H6uponV the frame of the ink-applier H engages a face as, formed upon theinterior of the cover or top section a, and the ink-applier H is causedto assume an upright position and its feeding-face is alined with andprojected through the opening A.

The rock-shaft H3 projects beyond one of the upright walls of the coveror top section ct and a crank-arm I is fixed thereto for actua-ting thearm H. A rotary shaft t', suitably supported by the frame B, isconnected to the crank-arm I for rocking the same, and when myimprovedinker is used in connection with a machine for postmarking andstampcanceling mail-matter any of the shafts of said machine maybe usedas the shaft z', providing it runs at al suitable speed for eifectingthe desired number of oscillations of the crank-arm Iand the arm H forsupporting and operating the ink-applier. As here illustrated, thisshaftt' is provided with a gearwheelfi, to which power is transmitted byany desired mechanism, not necessary to herein illustrate or describe,and is also formed with a worm i2, meshing with a worm-Wheel i3, securedto a shaft 4. A bracket t5 is suitably secured to the frame B or otherdesirable support and is formed with journaled bearings for the shaftit, and said shaft is provided with a disk i6, eccentrically connectedto one extremity of a link or pitman 7, having` its other end providedwith a hand-piece 8, removably engaged in any desired manner with thecrank-arm I for transmitting motion thereto. As the shaft t' rotates,the crankarm I is rocked oroscillated, and each revolution of the diski6 oscillates the ink-applier from its normal position in the lowerportion of the receptacle A into its operativeposition in alinement withthe opening A for feeding Y the ink from the receptacle A to the rollerE, and then returns said ink-applier to its normal position.

The shaft t' is suitably connected to the actuator or shaft f for theiuk-feedin g rollerF by IOO IIO

any suitable construction of power-transmitting mechanism, not necessaryto herein illustrate or describe, so that said shafts are revolved conjointly.

At Fig. 12 I have shown a slightly-modified form of my ink-applier, inwhich the ink-feeding piece consists of a roller hw, j ournaled in aframe 71,11, secured to a movable section h1? of a supporting-arm.

The operation of my invention, which will be readily understood uponreference to the description and the accompanying drawings, is asfollows: The ink-applier is continually oscillated from its normal toits operative position for feeding the ink, and the movement of saidink-applier and its supportingarm continually agitates and stirs theink, preventing separation and thickening of its coloring-matter andmaintaining the same at a uniform consistency,v and the ink-feedingrollers feed the ink from the ink-applier to the marker constantly andeffectively Without straining or separating the coloring-inatterthereof, and consequently the impression produced by the marker is ofuniform color and legibility.

The parts of myinvention are economically manufactured and assembled andare evidently durable in use, and the entrance of dust, dac., to the inkis practically prevented, as, with the exception of the small opening inits cover or top section, from which the ink is fed, the ink-containingreceptacle is entirely closed. The ink-receptacle is also readilycleaned and refilled. The inking-rollers and the supports therefor arereadily and practically adjustable, and owing to the peculiarconstruction of the foregoing parts and the ink-applier myinventionrequires a minimum amount of attention, as the same is entirelyautomatic in its operation and feeds the ink with great uniformity andconstancy Without liability of derangement of any of its parts. It isevident, however, that the detail construction and arrangement of theparts of my inker may be considerably varied Without departing from thespirit of my invention. Hence I do not herein specifically limit myselfto such exactdetail construction and arrangement.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an inker, the combination of a receptacle for the ink providedWith an outlet-opening, and an oscillating ink-applier normally inclosedWithin the receptacle and movable therein for feeding the ink from saidreceptacle, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In an inkel', the combination of a receptacle for the ink providedwith an outlet-opening, an oscillating ink-applier normally inclosedWithin the receptacle and movable therein for feeding the ink from saidreceptacle, said ink-applier having its feeding-face disposed normallyin a substantially horizontal plane and movable into a substantiallyvertical plane, and means for actuating said ink-applier, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

3. In an inker, the combination of a receptacle for the ink, the frameof an ink-applier having a groove therein, an ink-feeding piece movablein said groove, and springs supported by the frame for holding thefeeding-piece in operative position, substantially as a'nd for thepurpose described.

4. In an inker, the combination of a receptacle for the ink, an armconsisting of a pivoted section, and a rocking section movable in aplane arranged at an angle with the pivot of the former section, anink-applier carried by the rocking section of the arm, and means foroscillating the pivoted section and rocking the rocking sectionsubstantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In an inker, the combination of a receptacle for the ink, an armconsisting of a pvoted section and a rocking section, a springsurrounding a portion of the rockin g section for forcing the same toits normal position,

an ink-applier carried bythe rocking section of the arm, and means foroscillatingthe pivoted section and rocking the rocking sectionsubstantiallyas andforthe purpose specified.

6. In an inker, the combination of a receptacle for the ink having anengaging face, an arm consisting of a pivoted section, and a rockingsection, a spring for forcing the rocking section to its normalposition, an antifriction-roller supported by the rocking section forengaging said face of the receptacle, an ink-applier carried by therocking section of the arm and means for oscillating the pivotedsection, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. In an inker, the combination of an inkfeeding roller, a receptaclefor the ink having an opening therein in proximity to the roller, and anoscillating ink-applier having its feeding-face normally inclosed Withinthe receptacle and movable through the opening for feeding the inl; tothe roller, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. In an inker, the combination of a pivoted support, a second supportpivoted to the former support, ink-feeding rollers mounted on therespective supports, means for independently adjusting said supports,and an actuator iiexibly connected to one of the inkfeeding rollers,substantially as described.

9. In anV inker, the combination of an adjustable support, a secondsupport movably mounted on the former support, ink-feeding rollersmounted on the respective supports, one of said rollers being adjustableon its support, adj usters for varying the position of the supports, anda spring for holding one of the supports in its adjusted position,substantially as specified.

10. In an inker, the combination of a movable support having an engagingface provided With an engaging shoulder, anink-feeding roller mounted onthe support, and a hinged adjuster having one extremity pro-V Kings, inthe State of New York, this 10th vided with a movable shoulder formedwith day of February, 1894: sockets for receiving the shoulder of saidengaging face, substantially as set forth.

5 In testimony whereof I have hereunto Vitnesses:

signed my name,in the presence of tWo attest- ARTHUR E. PARsENs, ingWitnesses, at Brooklyn, in the county of I. J. THOMAS.

FREDERICK G. JAHN.

